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Save Time and Costs with Apple´s Device Enrollment Program (DEP)

The way that iPhones and iPads have taken in the business world was not necessarily foreseeable. Initially designed as a product for private use, Apple was able to make its business breakthrough through its usability and design. For IT, this means they now need to also deal with managing these devices. Regardless of whether company or private devices, these devices were deployed in the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) mode. That means the device was initialized as usual and then equipped with a managed MDM profile. That some features are then missing is not surprising. The business market is however too lucrative for Apple to leave this gap unbridged. As its solution, the Apple Deployment Program (ADP) was launched which explicitly addresses companies and educational institutions and helps them to easily and quickly configure a large number of corporate devices. However, the program is only as good as its implementation in the real world. Below, we want to explain the features of the Device Enrollment Program in a more detailed way and explain why it can be a game changer.

Prerequisites for DEP

Login to the Apple Deployment Program (ADP)Since the Device Enrollment Program is managed as part of the Apple Deployment Program, creating an ADP account is necessary. At https://deploy.apple.com every qualified company and educational institution can register. Important for companies is an existing Dun & Bradstreet number (D-U-N-S), which according to our experience is available for virtually all companies.

Equipment procurement
Certain aspects must be taken into consideration when purchasing devices destined to participate in then DEP. The devices can only be bought directly from Apple (i.e. the Apple Store) or from an authorized dealer. Some carriers also offer the possibility to procure devices via DEP when mentioned at the order stage.

Mobile Device Management (MDM) with DEP Support
Not every MDM solution supports DEP. Before you participate in the Apple Deployment Program, you should ensure that from a software aspect, you are ready to do so. The MDM solution must be linked to the ADP website to allow the devices to find their way to your server.

Connect devices to DEP
All that remains now is to assign the Apple devices to the ADP console to the corresponding MDM server. Both individual devices and complete orders can be connected to the server.

What is the advantage of the DEP?

After linking with the MDM server, everything else is fully automatic. Neither iPhone nor iPad ever need to be in the physical hands of an admin. You can send the purchased devices directly to the user, who can then enjoy the “out-of-the-box” feeling. The company nevertheless retains full control over the device. This prevents the MDM profile from being deleted by the user. The DEP admin is the only person that can unlink the device and the server, which is stored directly on the Apple servers. This means that stolen or lost devices can be permanently prevented from re-initializing – an immense security gain. Especially interesting for corporate devices it that DEP devices offer the possibility to be placed “over-the-air” in supervised mode. This allows even deeper security measures to be placed on the device, further securing sensitive data and corporate ownership.

A COPE Strategy with Apple – Never Been as Easy

With the Device Enrollment Program, Apple has made a major leap when it comes to COPE strategies, enabling an efficient way to configure profiles as quickly and as easily as possible. In order to benefit from this however, you need a solid MDM solution, which also partners with the DEP. Such an MDM solution is available with Cortado Server. Ultimately, this combination will save you a significant amount of both time and money.

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